Microgreens are all the rage for urban gardeners, and for smart reasons. They are quick (less than 2 weeks) and easy to grow if you have limited space, and provide a delicious and fresh veggie option to your diet. In essence, growing your own microgreens provides almost instant garden gratification.
While I grew this “microplot” of pea shoots using a planting tray from Johnny’s Selected Seeds, they can be found at many local nurseries like at Millcreek Gardens. And you don’t need the fancy trays, microgreens can be grown in a baking dish, but providing good drainage and being careful not to drown your seedlings in a pool of water is important. Microgreens require a high number of seeds—and being in high demand—may be difficult to come by. Placing a call to Millcreek Gardens, IFA, Mountain Valley Seed Co., Grand Prismatic Seeds or ordering online may be your best bet. Here’s your step by step, let’s do this:
Some seeds (like peas) should presoak overnight, others like cilantro or radish don’t.Microgreen seeds are densely packed vs. standard types of seeding methods.
Prepare your planting tray with an organic potting mix that has all the good stuff and mycorrhizae (we call it “mike”) fungi to stimulate root development.
Press seeds gently down into the soil, cover with a light dusting of soil.
Water regularly, keep the soil moist and indoors until sprouting (remember moist but not in a pool of water either).
Microgreens don’t need full sun, a sunny window will do, but you could take them outdoors on a warm day, and be careful not to shock them and check them frequently for moisture. The soil should never completely dry out, ever.
In less time than you think, they’ll be ready. I wait until the growth is passed a few inches and the true leaves have formed, you can trim them and taste for tenderness as well.
I find them delicious as a garnish on a number of dishes, in salads, on top of soup (on this potato soup they would be dynamite), heck, on my macaroni and cheese even.
Grow something, enjoy life and be well SLC!!
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Former Salt Lake Magazine Associate Editor Jen Hill is a SLC transplant from Bloomington, Ind. As a blogger and feature writer, Jen follows the pulse of the community with interests in urban agriculture, business, fitness & beauty and anything that allows her to get out of the office and into the mountains.
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Grow something, enjoy life and be well SLC!!
